[EM] STV and weighted positional methods

[Kathy Dopp]

On Sat, Jan 31, 2009 at 12:03 PM, Raph Frank <raphfrk at gmail.com> wrote:

>> Again what is your view on condorcet methods and approval?

Obviously most other voting methods, approval, range, condorcet, etc.
are worlds superior to IRV/STV because they are precinct-summable,
monotonic, and treat all ballots equally.  Almost any method that has
been proposed is far far superior, more equitable, and fairer than
IRV/STV.

> I am not sure chance to win is the right term here.  If ranking a
> candidate first has a 70% of helping and 30% chance of hurting, then
> it also increases the candidate's chance to win.

False statement. My vote will either have a 100% chance of helping my
first choice candidate or a 100% chance of hurting my first choice
candidate, depending on how all other voters vote, which I cannot tell
without being God, which most voters are not.  So I have no way when
voting of knowing for certain how to vote to help my favorite
candidate win. Should I rank my favorite first, last or not at all to
help him? No way to know.

Kathy